Best Buy's new online leader touts plan to overhaul e-commerce business

Scott Durchslag is officially in charge of overseeing Best Buy's online and mobile business. Last week, he was hired as the senior vice president and president Online and Global e-Commerce at the Richfield-based company. The former Expedia executive tells Business Insider that BestBuy.com has to keep up with competitors, operate as seamlessly as possible and add layers of innovation in social realms.

Scott Durchslag is officially in charge of overseeing Best Buy's online and mobile business. Last week, he was hired as the senior vice president and president Online and Global e-Commerce at the Richfield-based company. The former Expedia executive tells Business Insider that BestBuy.com has to keep up with competitors, operate as seamlessly as possible and add layers of innovation in social realms.

Durchslag joins the consumer electronics giant as newly hired CEO Hubert Joly tries to turnaround the struggling retailer and as company founder Richard Schulze looks to take the chain private.

Hubert Joly, Best Buy's new new president and CEO, officially joined the troubled Richfield-based consumer electronics giant on Tuesday, the Star Tribune reports. Joly, a native of France, is the first chief executive officer at Best Buy recruited from outside of the company. He most recently led the Minnetonka-based hospitality and travel company Carlson. Joly will begin his new role at Best Buy on the sales floor of several stores in the Twin Cities metro. He tells Reuters, "I want to not learn our businesses from the headquarters. I want to learn from the front line."

Best Buy has announced a new leadership organization for its U.S. operations, including the departure of Mike Vitelli, president of Best Buy's U.S. business, according to a news release. He who will retire in February. Executive Vice President of U.S. Operations Tim Sheehan will also leave the Richfield-based retailer at the end of October. Best Buy also gave a dismal preview of its third-quarter figures.

Best Buy's new Chief Executive Officer Hubert Joly outlined his five-point strategy, called "Renew Blue," to turn around the Richfield-based consumer electronics chain before he met with Wall Street investors in New York Tuesday afternoon, the Business Journal reports.

Despite some opposition from board members, Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly has agreed to let company founder Richard Schulze and his team of potential investors to interview eight to 10 key executives, the Star Tribune reports. Schulze, Best Buy's largest shareholder, has until mid-November to make a buyout offer to take the struggling Richfield-based electronics retailer private. He is under a 60-day deadline to present a proposal to the company’s Board of Directors.

Interim CEO Mike Mikan told shareholders and employees, gathered at Best Buy's annual meeting Thursday, the company is committed to changing in fundamental ways. The Richfield-based electronics retail giant plans to provide new employee training for better customer service, reduce its retail footprint and tackle trends like "showrooming" that are hurting the retailer's sales. Best Buy is also recovering from three months of internal drama, including the abrupt resignation of its founder and largest share holder Richard Schulze. He was not seen at Thursday's meeting.

Best Buy's new top executive, Hubert Joly, tells the Star Tribune that he's "not a big fan of shrinking the company." He wants the Richfield-based electronics giant to maximize sales with its existing stores. One analyst was also a bit puzzled by Joly's comments about "showrooming." "I don't think he's right. I think there's plenty of evidence of people doing that," said Laura Kennedy.

More than a week after he went public with his bid to take the Richfield-based electronics giant private, co-founder Richard Schulze sent a letter to the Best Buy Board of Directors requesting permission to form a group and conduct basic due diligence so that he can present a fully financed offer for the company. Schulze wrote, "you should know that I am not going away."

Richfield-based Best Buy Co. Inc. and its founder Richard Schulze have reached an agreement that gives Schulze permission to review the company's financials and form an investment group to finalize an official takeover bid, Forbes reports. If the initial proposal is rejected, Schulze has agreed to wait until January 2013 to pursue his plan to buy the struggling electronics giant. Schulze has 60 days to present a fully financed definitive proposal to Best Buy's Board of Directors.